Extra's Perfect Ending

Chapter 130: Seen

The void hands tried to push the painting back upright, but their connection to this world was weakening. The hand gripping Leon and battling him had lost most of its power.

"Run!" Reeva shouted at the hooded man, snapping Leon out of the daze caused by the gunshot. Leon’s feet quickened as he followed Reeva out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them.

Bang!

The noise echoed down the hallway as Leon used all his strength to close the door. Reeva emerged into a stone corridor, reminiscent of an underground church. But instead of feeling holy, this place felt unsettling, almost malevolent.

"Where are we?" Reeva asked, watching Leon closely for his reaction.

Leon took a moment to catch his breath after the sudden escape before responding, "Who are you?"

"Penu Koshav, the burger man," Reeva replied with a grin.

"No, not that — why are you a mystic?" Leon pressed. Without the white mystic bothering him, he seemed more talkative.

"Why can’t I be a mystic?" Reeva countered.

"Oh my god!" Leon exclaimed, grabbing Reeva by the collar. "Why are you this annoying to talk to?"

"Comes with the job?"

"Selling food doesn’t make you an asshole!" Leon retorted.

"I see..." Reeva said, gazing closely into Leon’s blue eyes. "I could answer your question, but first, we have to get out of here. Where are we?" He glanced around, his focus shifting to their surroundings. The commotion hadn’t reached the populated area yet, but it wouldn’t be long before someone came to investigate. They needed to move quickly.

"You still have your memories from being in the cult, right?" Reeva asked.

"Yeah, I still have all of them," Leon muttered, clearly frustrated. "Damn this fucking cult..." He turned around and started walking. "Follow me if you don’t want to get caught."

Reeva smiled and obediently fell in step behind him.

They walked freely through the cult’s compound, passing by members without drawing much attention. Some even greeted Leon, as he was a regular member of the cult. The building seemed to be underground, with only a few rooms and a handful of people inside.

Reeva recognized some of them as wealthy figures from the city. He moved through the space without saying much, occasionally responding with a quick "Thank you" or "Okay" when asked a question. Leon’s presence acted as a great deterrent; he was known for being taciturn, so his silence didn’t raise suspicion.

After some time, they came across a familiar figure: Landlong, the hotel owner, sitting in a small room. Through the glass, Landlong’s eyes met Reeva’s, and Reeva had to stop. The older man stood up from his seat and approached to greet him.

"Welcome to our group," Landlong said with a smile.

"Thank you for having me. I realize now why you’re so eager to recruit people. The more that join our cause, the faster we can achieve our goals," Reeva replied.

"Glad to see you’re already a believer," Landlong chuckled. "Most people take a day or two to come around, including me. Quite blasphemous, considering I was chosen by the very god."

Reeva smiled dryly as he listened. Leon, watching from the side, couldn’t believe Reeva’s words. If Reeva hadn’t helped him escape the room and the influence of the mystic, he might have assumed Reeva was a genuine cult member.

"We’re taking him on a mission, if you don’t mind," Leon cut the conversation short. Any longer, and they risked exposure.

"Already? Guess you’re a special young man after all," Landlong said, patting Reeva on the shoulder. Reeva reflexively brushed the man’s hand away, wary of any chance of his coldness being felt, which would blow his cover wide open.

"I don’t like people touching me," Reeva said, quickly coming up with an excuse.

"I guess we have our differences," Landlong replied without offense. "But still, we’re united under the same flag now. I’ll be seeing you more, burger boy."

With that, Reeva and Leon managed to exit the compound without further trouble. They emerged from a random building in the central district, one of its rooms acting as a secret passageway down to the cult gathering.

Leon breathed a sigh of relief as they arrived outside.

"Who are you, and why did you come to the cult?" Leon demanded.

"I..." Reeva hesitated, seeing the look on Leon’s face that seemed ready to kill him. He decided to be honest. "I was trying to take down the cult."

"And you went in there without any plan?" Leon asked incredulously.

"I have my ways, okay? I also don’t want to be judged by a guy I just saved."

"I’m older than you. You need to save me."

"What kind of logic is that? And we never met. Why would I need to help you?"

"It’s basic decency. You people have no respect for your elders."

Reeva sighed. As he listened to Leon speak more, he began to detect a northern accent. The northern regions were filled with tribal communities, where respecting elders was a prominent tradition.

"What about you? Why are you here?" Reeva asked.

"I’m here on commission, from a wealthy merchant," Leon replied. "He wanted me to protect this place, but that slimy guy converted me using the same method... Wait, how did you get out of it?!"

"Trade secret..." Reeva replied, playfully putting his index finger to his lips, clearly enjoying the situation.

"Tch," Leon clicked his tongue. "You really are a heartless bunch, but thank you for helping me. Now I can get back to my people."

"Wait..." Reeva stopped him before he could leave. "Do you want to take revenge?"

"I might be from the north, city boy, but I’m not as dumb as my peers. How would you take revenge against this cult? Are you insane?"

"I’ve got two other mystics with me and another organization wanting to take down this cult. Your knowledge would be extremely valuable in the upcoming fight."

"I’ll only agree if you have them meet me first"